The Power in the Ring
by ouatevilregal8
Summary: The third story following The Hope in the Curse: Regina was able to escape over the town line with Rebecca and Grace for a year. But now that Cora and Mr. Gold have been planning a way to get to Rebecca, will she and the girls be able to stay hidden, especially now that Regina doesn't know who they are?
1. Chapter 1

"Mom, I can't find it!" Rebecca walks into her sister's room. Her mother is sitting on her sister's bed, combing her sister's hair.

"Well, where did you look? Did you check your drawer? Your jewelry box? Your bag?" She begins to put the girl's hair in a ponytail.

"Yes!" She exclaims, "I can't find it anywhere!"

Her little sister chimes in, "Maybe it's just lost."

She makes a snide remark, "Well I know it's lost, genius! That's why I'm looking for it." Her sister glares at her. "Mom!"

"Honey, I can't help you. I'm a little busy." She finishes the young girl's hair.

The teenager scoffs and walks out of the room.

It's been almost a year since the Nodin's have moved into the city. Regina and her two daughters Rebecca, who is seventeen, and Grace, who is eleven, had just finished unpacking only weeks ago. Regina is a single parent to the girls; their father passed away right before they had moved.

Regina gets up and leaves Grace to finish getting ready. She makes her way into Rebecca's room, which is completely trashed with clothes and shoes.

Regina leans against the doorpost, "Well… Now I can see why you can't find it."

"Mom! This is serious! I really can't find it!" She looks up at her.

"I think you'll be fine without it for a day. Now, let's go. You and your sister are going to be late for the bus."

"Fine."

Regina begins walking away but turns around and says, "Oh! And don't think I'm letting you keep your room like this. First thing when you get home." She says strictly while pointing to the mess in the room.

Rebecca grunts and moans then follows her mother out of her room. Both girls quickly grab their bags and Regina takes them to the bus stop.

0-0-0

Meanwhile in Storybrooke, most of the town is still adjusting to Regina's disappearance as well as Jefferson's death. Assuming that she is still in town, Emma, Mary Margret and David have been searching for her to get some answers concerning Jefferson's death. But, after no sign of her, they decide to confront the one person who may know where she is at, Mr. Gold.

"Gold? Gold, you in here?" Emma loudly asks while walking into his shop.

Gold walk out from the back room, "Well, it is my shop, dearie. What can I do for you?" He then puts something into his coat pocket and smiles.

Emma looks at him skeptically and asks, "It's been a year since the whole… Jefferson… Regina's disappearance… thing and-"

"You were hoping for some assistance with the case? Correct?"

"Yes."

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, dearie, but there's nothing I can do to help you. I have no idea where she is."

Emma stares at Gold suspiciously, "I highly doubt that, Gold."

"Dearie, why would I lie to you?"

"Because you have your own agenda with her…"

He smiles deviously, "Even if I did have an agenda, which I do not, why would I tell you?"

"Because Jefferson's kid has been missing and it's possible that she kidnapped her…"

"Dearie, this may surprise you, but Regina loves that little girl."

"That doesn't matter, Gold. It still constitutes as kidnapping."

"Well dearie, as I said before, I do not know where she is."

Emma stares again at Gold, wondering what he was he was hiding. There was something he knew, but she wasn't going to get it out of him.

"Fine." She replies. She just turns and walks out of the shop slightly aggravated.

Gold watches as she leaves and then takes the broken chain out of his pocket. He inspects it careful and suddenly gets an idea. He puts the chain down and begins to look around for a book filled with dark magic spells.

Suddenly a puff of purple smoke appears in front of him and reveals Cora standing in the middle of the shop.

"You know, dearie, most people use the door." He says.

She replies, "Yes, but I find this a much better way to make an entrance." He smiles at her remark. She looks to what he is doing and asks, "Have you figured how to do it yet?"

"I'm working on it, dearie. These things take time."

Impatiently, she replies, "It has been a year, Rumple. That is long enough."

He looks up at the woman, "Well have you kept to your side? Have you found out little lab rat?"

Cora waves her hand and with a puff of purple smoke reveals a random Storybrooke resident tied up and gagged. "I've kept my end of the deal. Now you keep yours."

Gold smiles at her and opens the books. He flips to a particular page and picks up the necklace with the ring hanging from it. With a wave of his hand the ring begins to glow magically.

Cora smiles and asks, "Will it work?"

"That is what he," He looks over to the tied up man on the floor, "is for, dearie."

The two smile at one another and must make their way to the town line.

0-0-0

Regina walks into Rebecca's almost-clean room and leans against the doorpost. "Did you find it yet, Sweetie?"

Rebecca is sitting on the floor of her room a little depressed, "No… I don't think I ever brought it with me, Mom!" She looks up to her mother upset.

Regina looks at Rebecca feeling sorry for her, "Becca, it's just a necklace. What is the big deal? I'll get you a new one." She walks over to sit on Rebecca's bed.

"Mom, I don't want a new one! It was Dad's ring!" She looks over to her mom. Regina signals for her come sit next to her on the bed. She gets up and joins her and Regina puts her arm around her shoulder.

"Alright, Sweetie, we'll find it. I promise. It's bound to be here somewhere."

"Mom!" Grace yells from the other room.

Regina yells back, "What is it, Gracie?"

She yells from the kitchen, "Can you help me with my homework?"

Regina laughs, gets up and walks to the door. "I'm coming!" She turns around to Rebecca, "Let's go. I'm sure you have work too."

Rebecca gets up and mumbles, "Yes…" Regina strokes Rebecca's hair as she walks passed her and into the kitchen with her sister.

0-0-0

Mr. Gold and Cora stand right in front of the town line. Cora holds the random town resident with magic and Mr. Gold takes out the enchanted ring on the chain.

She looks to him and asks, "Are you sure this will work?"

Rumple looks at the necklace and then at the man subdued by magic, "Throw him over and we'll find out."

Suddenly, Cora releases the man from her magical grip and pushes him over the line. Within a few seconds, he no longer remembers who he is. Cora again restricts the man with her magic. Mr. Gold then takes the necklace and puts it around the man's neck. The ring suddenly shines for an instant and the man looks at the two standing in front of him. He remembers who he is for that one moment until Mr. Gold removes the necklace.

He looks up at Cora with a smile and puts the necklace into his pocket, "Well, dearie, now we are in business."


	2. Chapter 2

Rebecca and Gracie sit at the island in the kitchen while Regina prepares dinner. They are continuously arguing over nonsense; Regina just continues to laugh at the babbling. There is a sudden knock on the door.

Grace jumps up and yells, "I'll get it!" She gets up and runs to the door. When she opens the door, it reveals Cora in more modern wear holding Rebecca's necklace in her hands.

She smiles at the young girl who does not recognize who she is and says, "Why hello, dear. Would this belong to you by chance?" She holds up the necklace for Grace to see. "I found it outside and I thought it best if I returned it."

Graces eyes light up. She calls for her sister, "Becca! Someone found your necklace!"

Rebecca looks to her mother surprised and a little confused then gets up and goes to the door. Regina soon follows.

Rebecca looks at the woman holding her necklace and smiles, "Mom, look! She found it!" Rebecca takes the necklace happily.

Regina smiles at her daughter's joy and looks to the woman with gratitude. Cora looks at her daughter knowing exactly who she is and smiles. Cora sees that her daughter is happy, yet believes that she doesn't know what she wants. She believes that Rebecca's existence is holding her back from who she could truly be, from the power she could possess.

Regina places a hand on Grace's head sweetly, "Sweetheart, dinner is ready. Why don't you and I get started while your sister thanks this kind woman?" The two walk away and leave Rebecca to thank the woman.

Rebecca smiles at the woman, "Thank you so much! I can't believe you found this."

"Of course, dear. It must be very important to you." Cora gives a fake smile.

"It was my dad's."

"Well put it on, dear."

Rebecca puts on the necklace, She suddenly feels something come over her, and then her eyes glow purple for an instant. She looks up and becomes stunned at the sight of Cora. "You!" she whispers.

Cora smiles at the fact that the girl remembers. She says, "You have been a hard girl to find, dear."

"What do you want? Why are you here?" She suddenly realizes, "Wait, how do I remember? We… we drove over the town line!"

Regina suddenly walks back over to the door and says to Rebecca, "Sweetie, your dinner is getting cold. What is taking you so long?" She looks to the woman, confused to why she is still there.

"Nothing, Mom. Just chatting." Rebecca smiles slightly nervous.

"Oh. Well hurry up. Your sister is almost finished." Regina walks away.

Rebecca turns back to Cora and says, "What do you want?"

"I want you and my daughter back in Storybrooke by the weekend."

"And why would I do that?" Rebecca asks skeptically.

"I may not have magic here dear, but I have ways of ruining your life if you do not."

"Why do you want us in Storybrooke? We were trying to escape. We just wanted to be happy."

"You should have known that no one breaks a deal with Rumplestiltskin, dear. And I want to help my daughter."

"With what? My mom is happy…" Rebecca asks confused.

"There are some issues between us that need to be resolved. And I am afraid that young Henry really misses her." Cora lies.

Rebecca stares at her suspiciously but knows that she has no choice. She did not want to think of what Cora could do to her family, especially now that her mother and sister had no memory and were rather vulnerable. She asks, "Fine. It seems I have no choice. But how do I convince my mom to bring us there?"

Cora hands the girl an official-looking letter. "This should convince her enough." Rebecca takes the letter nervously. "Now, you should get back to your family." Cora smiles, "Family is an important thing."

Cora turns her back and walks away. Rebecca closes the door and walks into the kitchen to meet her mom and sister. She hands the letter over in a pile of mail to her mother and then sits to eat.

Regina opens the letter and reads it. Her eyes become excited as she reads.

Grace looks up at her, "What is it, Mom?"

Regina looks to the girls. "We've been invited to visit a little town on a free vacation."

"Where?" Asks Grace excitedly.

"Storybrooke, Maine. Sounds sweet."

"Yeah! Vacation!" Says Grace excitedly.

"What do you think, Becca?" Regina asks.

Rebecca hesitates for some time and then answers, "Sure… sounds fun."

0-0-0

That night, Rebecca looks at herself in the mirror and plays with necklace around her neck. She stares at herself and wonders how she could possibly remember, how Cora could have possibly found them, and what she was planning on doing once they got to Storybrooke. She realizes that it had been only a year. She and her family could only escape for that short time before they were force back to town. Even forgetting the past was impossible. She goes to her bed, lies down and stares at the ceiling nervously. Tomorrow, she was returning to Storybrooke.


	3. Chapter 3

Rebecca's stomach drops as they cross the town line and enter Storybrooke. Who knows what has happened in a year or what people with do to them? Regina was, after all, the evil queen in the town. How would they react when they realized that she had no memory of it?

While driving through the town, Regina looks around curiously at people. She wonders why they are staring at her and the girls so oddly. Suddenly, Emma notices Regina and begins to chase the car until Regina pulls over.

She looks to the two girls in the car, "Girls, stay here. I'll be right back." She gets out of the car and asks Emma, "Excuse me? What are you doing?"

Emma finally catches up to her, "Regina, where the hell have you been?"

Regina looks at her stunned at what she had just said, "How do you know my name?" she asks.

Emma looks at her, still exhausted from running and says, "Don't play with me, Regina. You're coming to the station."

Regina looks at Grace who is peeking out of the back seat window then says to Emma, "What are you talking about? Please, you're scaring my girls."

Emma looks at the young girl in the window and notices that it is Jefferson's daughter Grace. She looks at Regina, "This is Jefferson's daughter!"

Regina looks at her confused again, "Wait, you knew Jefferson? You knew my husband? How?"

"Wait. Your husband? Since when?" Emma looks at Regina.

"Why, seventeen years! I thought you knew him… Surely he must have told you about me and the girls." Regina smiles innocently.

Emma isn't sure what to say. She looks into Regina's eyes and knows that it isn't the same Regina she knew a year ago. She can tell that it isn't Regina lying; it is like she is a whole different person.

"Well, look. Even if you don't know who you are, I still need to take you to the station." Emma says.

Regina, still confused, asks, "What makes you think I don't know who I am? What is this about Miss… Excuse me? What is your name?"

"Emma."

"Emma… What?"

"Swan."

"Oh."

"Please. I need you to come to the stations with me." Emma takes her arm.

"But, what about my girls?" Regina asks.

"They're coming too." Emma looks at them.

Regina then beckons for them to come out of the car. Rebecca looks nervously at Emma. She gets out of the car and asks, so as to keep the fact that she does have her memory a secret, "Mom? What's going on?"

Emma looks the Rebecca and says, "Nothing. We just… uh… always evaluate new Storybrooke residents and visitors."

Regina stares at her, "Seems a bit over-the-top. Don't you think?"

"I just do what the person in charge tells me to do." Emma lies and smiles.

Emma, Regina, Rebecca and Grace make their way to the station.

0-0-0

"So she really has no memory of who she is?" ask Mary Margret concerned.

"Nope. None of them do." Emma replies.

"Well, there has to be a reason, Emma."

David chimes in, "Are you completely sure that she's not lying."

Emma looks at David in complete seriousness, "She not. I spoke to her myself. She doesn't remember anything."

"She may just be faking really well." He says.

"Yes, but the girls have no memory either." Mary Margret replies.

Emma looks confused, "She called Jefferson her husband."

"What?" Mary Margret asks.

"Yeah. She said they were married for seventeen years." Emma looks just as confused. "And she keeps saying that Jefferson's daughter is hers. And the kid does keep calling her 'Mom'."

"Someone must have an explanation for it," says David.

The three look over at Regina who is sitting on a bench with an arm around Grace's shoulder and the other hand holding Rebecca's hand. Rebecca fidgets with her necklace while Grace talks to Regina.

"There is a perfect explanation, dearie." Mr. Gold says as he walks through the door.

David looks to him, "And what is that, Gold?"

"How did you not see it before? They've lost all of their memories. They've crossed the town line."

The three look at each other bewildered and then look over to Regina and the girls.

"Is there any way that we can get their memories back?" David asks.

"I'm pretty sure Regina crossed the town line with the girls for a reason. She does not wish to remember." Gold answers.

Emma looks at him sternly and says, "Well, we need her to. She is probably the only one who knows what happened to Jefferson. Maybe even the one who did it." Emma walks out.

Mary Margret looks over to Regina; she is smiling while talking to young Grace and her eyes are bright with happiness.

David puts his hand on her shoulder and asks, "Mary Margret, everything alright?"

She continues to look at Regina, "I haven't seen her that happy in so long." She turns to him, "I don't think we should force them to remember."

David looks honestly at her, "But we need answers about Jefferson's death. It's a case, Mary Margret. A case that only they know the answers to."

"It's a year-old case, David. Why don't we just drop it and let them be? She's finally happy."

"What if it was you? Or me? Wouldn't you want to know?"

Mary Margret looks down and says quietly, "If I already knew, I wouldn't want to be reminded of it."

David lifts her chin to look deeply into her eyes, "We don't have a choice." He looks over to Gold, "Gold, do happen to know a way that we _could_ return her memory to her?"

"None that I know of, dearie." He replies.

"Then we will just have to find one." David says. The couple walks out and leaves Rumple alone with the family. He walks up to Regina and says, "Why hello there."

Regina looks up and smiles, "Hello."

Rumple continues his act, "You, my dear, have the most beautiful daughters."

"Why thank you Mr…"

"Gold, dearie."

"Ah, Mr. Gold. Well, thank you."

He looks to Rebecca, who avoids making eye contact, and says, "You look just like your mother, dearie."

Almost emotionless, Rebecca responds, "Thank you."

Then he bends over to Grace and says, "And you, dearie. I bet you look exactly like your father."

Regina smiles, "She does."

Grace looks up at Regina and smiles with blushed cheeks and then replies to Mr. Gold, "Thank you."

He straightens up and says, "Well. I would like to welcome you to Storybrooke. I own a little pawnshop down the street. If you ever need anything," he looks over to Rebecca, "don't hesitate to come on over and ask." Then he looks back to Regina and nods politely.

As he walks out the door, Rebecca looks up at him. When she was Robin Hood, she made deals with him without ever thinking about it. But now, for the first time, she feared what this deal had in store for her.


	4. Chapter 4

Rebecca hastily walks into Gold's shop. "Gold!" she yells out. "Gold, what is your game?"

Mr. Gold looks at the girl, "No game, dearie. We had a deal and I'd like to cash it in now."

Walks up to the counter and looks him in the eye deviously, "I am _done_ making deals with _you_, Gold. You killed Jefferson."

"No, dearie. Cora killed him. All I wanted was to prevent _you_ from leaving Storybrooke. That man would not have died if you had just obeyed us."

"I agreed to go with you! Cora still crushed his heart!"

"Minor mishap, dearie. I cannot control what Cora does."

"I refuse to do anything for you, Gold." Rebecca turns and begins to walk away. Suddenly, Cora appears before her and blocks the entrance. "What are you doing?"

Gold says to Rebecca, "You should have thought of that before making the deal with me. No one breaks a deal with me, dearie."

She turns to Gold and looks at him nervously, "What do you want?"

"There is a man who has been causing me a bit of trouble. I need you to deal with him."

Cora chimes in as well, "And _I_ need you to return your mother's memory."

Rebecca turns to Cora, "I never made a deal with you. Why would I help you try to destroy her happiness?"

"I am not going to, dear. I told you before. I wish to be a better mother to my daughter."

"Honestly, I don't believe you."

Gold interrupts her, "Well, dearie. You don't need to, but you do have to return your mother's memory… as part of our deal." He smiles.

"That is not fair!" Rebecca yells to him.

"We do not need to be fair. We have the advantage." Cora says to her.

Rebecca looks to both villains and realizes that Cora is right; she has no advantage against them. She has to do what they wants or they can hurt anyone she loves.

She looks to Gold, "How am I supposed to get them to remember?"

"Dearie, that is all inside of you."

"What are you talking about?" Rebecca stares at him confused.

"You were in a land without magic, which is why I had to enchant your little trinket there to get your memory back. But you are back in Storybrooke now, dearie. You have power here. Do you not remember what you did to us to protect your family?"

Rebecca vaguely remembers but begins to recall the several moments when she felt a power inside of her. She recalls the moment that she threw Gold and Cora to the ground with power that she suddenly released in anger.

Cora puts her hand on the girl's shoulder, "Imagine what you could do when you can control that power, dear."

Rebecca looks to Cora and wonders why she is actually being kind to her. She asks her, "Why are you being like this to me? I thought you wanted me dead."

Cora smiles to the girl, "Dear, you are my granddaughter." She strokes her hair sweetly and says, "I just want you and your mother to be happy and I want to be a part of that."

Oddly, Rebecca begins to believe her and smiles. She looks to Gold and asks, "Alright. But how do I control it?"

Gold and Cora smile at each other and then Gold says to the young girl, "Magic is connected to emotion, dearie. You must will you emotions and the magic. Will it, and it will happen."

Rebecca looks to Gold. She feels nervous that she trusts them. She smiles at him though and turns to leave the shop. She then remembers and turns back to him. She asks, "Oh. Mr. Gold? What is that man's name? The man you wish for me to deal with?"

Gold smiles, "His name is Killian Jones, dearie. But you may know of him as Captain Hook."

Rebecca stares at him for a moment and then nods. With a name like Captain Hook, he did not sound pleasant. She knew that she would need to bring back some of her skills as Robin Hood if she was going to accomplish this.

0-0-0

Emma had dropped Regina and the girls off at Regina's old home. Though she was a bit confused due to the lack of memory, she didn't argue; living in the biggest house on the street was much better than trying to fit in one little room at Granny's.

Rebecca returns to the house as Regina is setting up for dinner. Regina hears her walk in and says, "Hello, dear. Where have you been?"

"Just wandering around the town; taking a look at stuff." Rebecca stands next to her and looks at her with seriousness.

Regina looks at her daughter a little worried, "What wrong, Sweetie?"

Rebecca looks at her mom and then quickly hugs her tightly. "I love you, Mom." Rebecca tries hard to focus and will her mother's memory back, but nothing happens.

Regina lets go of the hug and smiles, "I love you too. What is up? You're acting strange."

Rebecca suddenly cups her hands on her mothers face and focuses on willing the magic again. Regina stares into her daughter's eyes a bit confused. Suddenly, Rebecca's eyes turn a deep purple for an instant. Then Regina's also flashed purple for the instant. She looks at Rebecca and then looks around and back at the girl.

Nervously she cups Rebecca's face in her hands and asks, "What happened, Rebecca?"

"Mom?"

"Why do I remember everything?"

"I had to, Mom! It was a deal…"

Regina steps back, "With Gold?"

"We… We made it over the line, but… a year later, they found us and brought us back to Storybrooke. I had to bring your memory back, or they would hurt you and Gracie."

Regina looks to her daughter in shock, "Grace? Grace, where is she?"

"I think she upstairs in her room. She's fine, Mom."

Regina cups her daughter's face again, "Whatever you do, do not give Grace her memory back. I… I can't see her devastated like she was when we left."

"I promise."

Regina looks at her daughter, "How did you do it? How did bring our memories back?"

"Magic… I… I have it."

Regina backs up again and stares at her daughter, "You… You have magic?"

"I guess. It's just, kind of, inside of me." She looks up at her mother nervously, "There is something else."

"What?"

"Another part of the deal. I… I have to deal with an enemy of Mr. Gold's. Captain Hook."

"Hook?" Regina asks astonished.

"Yeah, do you know him?"

"Sweetheart, why did you agree to this?"

"Mom, I didn't have a choice. You don't know who I was then. I can do it."

Regina still feels worried about her daughter's safety. Hook was a lot like she had once been. She kisses her daughter on the forehead and says, "But you don't have to do it alone. I'm here to help you."

Regina and Rebecca would soon confront Hook. Little did she know, she would soon confront her mother Cora as well.


	5. Chapter 5

While the girls are at school, Regina looks carefully through her office for something that might help her and Rebecca with Gold's deal. Dealing with Hook didn't necessarily mean killing him, and Regina wanted to avoid having her daughter become a killer; she did not want her to turn into want she had become. Regina then hears a knock at the door.

As she opens the door, she notices that it is her son Henry. "Henry?"

Henry hugs her and she returns the embrace, "Mom! You're back."

"Henry, what are you doing here?" she asks joyfully. She had not seen him in so long.

"You've been gone for so long. I needed to see you." He smiles.

The two walk inside and into her office. Regina turns to Henry and places her hands on his shoulders and smiles, "Henry, I'm so glad you're here. I missed you so much when… I have to let you know, I had nothing to do with Archie or with Jefferson."

Henry replies, "I know. I always knew."

Regina continues explaining, unaware of what he just said, "I was framed. I don't know how. I… It just seems like everything…" She then realizes, "You knew? How did you know?"

"Simple." He replies.

Suddenly, in a puff of blue smoke, Henry magically transforms into Cora. "Because I did it."

"Mother…" Regina becomes shocked, "You… I thought we stopped you. Why are you here?"

"I had to see you. I needed to tell you, that I know why you sent me through the looking glass. And I know why you tried to have me killed. And it's… It's alright."

Regina, still startled and angry, "I think it's not alright."

Cora continues to apologize, "I love you. I just… I've always shown it in all the wrong ways. And I never should have made you marry the King. I'm so sorry. When you cried over my coffin, it… It all changed."

"You framed me... for the cricket. You… killed Jefferson right in front of me; right in front of his daughter."

"I only planned on the frame being temporary, dear. So you could see what these people really think of you. But, then you chose to run again. I couldn't let you leave."

"You made an airtight case. Anyone would believe it. And killing Jefferson only made me want to leave more; to protect those girls from you."

"I didn't want you to reject me. Not again."

"You wanted me broken." Regina replies with tears forming in her eyes.

"Receptive."

"You are the most manipulative… No. I won't even argue. We are going to find Hook."

"Why would we do that?"

"Because Gold wants my daughter to deal with him and I am not going to let her do that. I will not see her become what I was. And will not lose her again."

"And then you'll let us start over?" Cora asks hopefully.

"I don't see that happening, mother. But I am… I was trying so hard to be worthy of my girls. And I deserve the same thing from you."

"You're right. For you, sweetheart. Anything." Cora replies.

0-0-0

Rebecca finds a way to get out of school that day and go in search of Hook herself. She has a similar thought as her mother. Gold said to deal with him; he never specifically said to kill him. So, Rebecca tries to find him. She spends hours searching the town for places where she can possibly find a pirate with one hand. Unfortunately, she has no luck. The last place she looks is the pier. However, there really is no ship made for a pirate just sitting there.

Rebecca stops and thinks for a moment. She thinks not like Rebecca, but as Robin. As a thief, she knew how to hide, how to find things of value that where hidden from her and how to be invisible. She wonders how a man could become completely invisible to the world. The only solution was magic.

Rebecca isn't sure how to control her magic just yet, but she hopes that willing the ship to appear, or even willing a small bit of it to, could help her. She closes her eyes and listens to the water. She focuses on willing just a small part of the ship to become visible to her. Slowly, the dock to the ship becomes visible. Before losing all of her strength, Rebecca boards the ship as the invisibility returns. She finally sees that she has found Captain Hook's ship. The hard part was finding the captain himself.

"Excuse me, love. But what are you doing on my ship?" Rebecca hears from behind her. She turns around and stares at Hook.

"Are you Hook?" She asks.

He lifts up his right arm to show the girl the hook and says, "What do you think?"

"I need to speak with you concerning Mr. Gold."

"Ah, yes. My crocodile. So he sent a little girl to come after me?"

"I know nothing about what went on between the two of you. I was simply told to deal with you."

Hook stalks toward the girl and pins her up against a crate then whispers to her, "That crocodile stole everything from me. My love and my hand. I want my vengeance."

Rebecca suddenly gets an idea in her head, "Then let me help you."

"Why would I do that, love?"

Rebecca still didn't trust Gold's motives; she knew that he was planning something. In a way, she wanted vengeance for the death of Jefferson and forcing her and her family to return to Storybrooke, so she decided to change sides for her benefit. She was now going to have to advantage. More and more, she was thinking like her mother, "Because, for some reason, Gold trusts me. I can get you close to him."

Hook backs off and thinks for a moment. He replies, "You are a sly and cunning young girl."

"I've had a lot of practice." She smiles.

Regina and Cora enter the ship, interrupting Hook and Rebecca's conversation. Regina calls out for Hook and then notices her daughter. "Rebecca? What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing. And what are you doing with her?"

Hook looks at them frustrated and says, "What are _all_ of you doing on my ship?"

Regina looks to her daughter and says, "We came here to talk to Hook."

"I came here to talk to Hook." Rebecca says to her mother.

Hook smiles, "Well I guess I'm a popular man."

"Dear, we came only to help you." Cora says to Rebecca.

Rebecca looks to Regina, "You are working with _her_ now?"

"Well she is my mother, Rebecca. Why not give her a chance? You gave me one."

Hook interrupts and asks Regina, "Wait, do you know this girl?"

"She's my daughter." Regina replies.

"Since when did that happen?" Hook asks confused.

Regina, Cora and Rebecca all give him an aggravated glare.

Hook stares back at them, "I see the resemblance."

Regina cups her hands on Rebecca's face, "I'm not going to let you kill him."

Hook looks a bit shocked, "Well I'm not either, love. I'd prefer to live."

Rebecca look to her mother, "I wasn't going to kill him. I told you, you don't know who I was before. I would never do that and I won't become like that. You need to trust me." She smiles at her mother.

"Then what will you do?" asks Cora.

Rebecca looks to them, "We are going to turn the tables on the other player, Mr. Gold."

"How will we do that?" asks Hook.

Cora looks at the girl and smiles at what she was thinking. "We search for the one magical item that can actually kill him here… His dagger."

Hook becomes annoyed with not knowing what it going on, "And how will we find it?"

Rebecca smiles to her mother and then looks to Hook and says, "I'm pretty adept at finding things. Its kind of what I do."


	6. Chapter 6

Rebecca, Cora, Regina, and Hook enter the town library. Regina scans the shelves of books for the number on a paper that Rebecca was able to retrieve from Gold's beloved, Belle.

Hook looks around and asks, "Shouldn't we be pillaging his shop or ransacking his home?"

Cora replies, "That would be the obvious choice, yes. But Gold wouldn't risk crossing the town line and losing his memory without entrusting the dagger's location to someone."

"And who better than his one true love?" Rebecca adds.

"Belle." Hook responds.

Regina continues looking, "My guess, is she hid it in one of her beloved books."

"Impressive, Regina." Cora places her hand on Regina's shoulder.

"Thank you, mother."

Hook interrupts their moment and says, "I'll be impressed when I'm holding the dagger in my hand."

Finally, Rebecca finds the correct spot. "Mom, I found it. But, it's not here."

Regina looks over, "No. It should be there."

Aggravated, Hook replies, "Well, it's not, is it? May we go now?"

"Hold on." Rebecca says. Rebecca sticks her hand in the space between the books and finds a folded piece of paper. She smiles, "I told you I was good at finding things." Regina then puts her hand around her daughter's shoulder and smiles.

Cora looks at it confused, "What is that?" Rebecca unfolds the paper.

It catches Hook's eye and he says, "Oh, yes. Crude. To the untrained eye, a child's scribbles, but to a pirate… It's a map. Gold may not have hidden the dagger here, but I believe he's left us the next best thing – its location."

"Can you read it?" She asks.

"Well, lucky for you ladies, I'm quite adept at finding buried treasure." He replies with a smile.

0-0-0

While Rebecca and Cora are at Regina's house after picking up Grace from school, Hook and Regina have their own private conversation.

As Regina looks at the map, Hook looks to her and starts making small talk. "You have a smart kid there, love."

Regina smiles at him, "Yes, she's pretty special."

Hook has something on his mind, but isn't sure how to bring it up. "Love, how is it that I never met the girl before? I worked with you for some time, and had never seen her."

Regina becomes a bit sad, "She was taken from me when she was born. I hadn't even met her until she was sixteen. She found me."

"Shame…" Hook responds. He looks back down at the map, but doesn't really pay attention. He wishes to know more about Regina's situation, "And, what about this other girl that your dear daughter mentioned?Uh... Grace, is it? Whose her father?"

"Don't get so intrigued, Hook. She's not mine. Her father died, she was an orphan, I took her as my own."

Hook continues to pry, "And… this man… was he… a lover?"

"What is with the continuous questioning about my personal life, Hook? If I do recall, you were rather unrevealing of your past and not as concerned with mine either. What's with the sudden intrigue in my life?" Regina asks a bit annoyed with him.

Suddenly, Hook smiles and walks behind Regina. He places his hand on her shoulder gently and then slowly slides it down her arm. He whispers in her ear, "Well, I don't know if you recall, but there were some things that were revealed between us, love."

"What are you talking about?" She feels his hot breath on the nape of her neck, "What are you doing?"

Hook kisses Regina's neck and then forcefully turns her around to face him. She is a bit startled and pinned against the table. Hook puts his hand on the back of Regina's head and says, "Let me refresh your memory." Suddenly, Hook pulls Regina into a passionate kiss.

She backs away for an instant and hesitates at letting him kiss her again. She says, "Relationships with me don't tend to end well, Hook." She looks deeply into his blue eyes.

He looks back at her and says, "I'm Captain Hook, love. I can take on anything that comes my way." He pulls her in for another kiss and this time she passionately returns it. She strokes her fingers through his hair. Hook throws the map to the floor and props Regina onto the table. He gets closer to her as she wraps her legs around his waist. He pushes her hair back and kisses her neck.

Regina begins to think out loud and says, "I don't know if this is such a good idea."

Between kisses, Hook says to her. "Why?"

"Because I have children, and something like this might cause a problem. And I don't want to hurt them… or myself for that matter." She suddenly pushes him away.

He gets close to her again and reassures her, "My aim is not to hurt you, love."

Regina looks into his eyes and can see his honesty. So many feelings rush through her at that moment. What would her daughters think? Would doing this, falling for him, mean that she has already let go of Jefferson? Could this cause problems with their plan?

Suddenly, the thoughts stop as Hook gets closer to her and kisses her tenderly again. She returns that kiss as the thoughts simply disappear. It is only she and Hook there in that very moment. She begins the lean back as if to lie on the table. Hook slow goes with her until she sits up start again and pushes him back for a moment, "Wait. What if someone walks in?" Then she realizes and waves her hand to lock the door with magic. She smiles at Hook and pulls him closer to her, and then she wraps her arms around him. "Now, where were we?"

Regina falls back to lie on the table and pulls him down with her as they touch lips.

0-0-0

Regina and Hook return to the house later and stop at the entrance. Regina turns to him and he unexpectedly kisses her. She smiles for a moment but then becomes serious, "Hook, wait."

Hook smiles and strokes her hair, "I'm thinking you can call me Killian now, love."

She smirks but then returns to her serious expression, "Killian… We- we can't tell anyone about this, about us, just yet. We have a plan to find the dagger and rid of Gold. Protecting my daughter is my first priority."

Hook looks into her worried eyes and reassures her as her strokes her hair and kisses her lightly, "And, now, it is my first priority as well. And killing the crocodile will just be a bonus." He smiles.

About to kiss him again, Regina notices the door open and then suddenly pushes Hook out of their embrace. Rebecca stands in the doorway. "What took you guys so long? And why are you just standing here? You could have come in…"

Regina and Hook look at each other awkwardly and go inside.

Cora is standing over Regina's desk looking through her old magic book and then looks up as they all walk through the door.

Hook places the map on the desk and points to a particular spot. "I give you the location of the dagger."

Cora smiles and says, "Well done, Hook. We'll take it from here."

Hook looks at her confused and asks, "Wait, what? No. You promised me!" As Hook tries to confront her, Cora magically blasts Hook back into wall, knocking him unconscious.

"The dagger is much too powerful to be wasted on you." She says.

Regina and Rebecca look back at the unconscious man on the ground. Regina wants to run over, but knows that she'd give to much away if she did. She just looks at him with sorrow inside. Rebecca's eyes are wide with shock.

Regina asks her mother, "So… Is… This is what it was all about? Getting Rumple's dagger so you could obtain his dark powers?"

"If we possess the dagger, we control the Dark One. And when he returns to Storybrooke, we can command him to kill Snow White, Prince Charming, and Emma. Our enemies will be vanquished and we can finally be happy."

"But, this isn't about them." Rebecca says. She turns to her mother in confusion, "Mom? All we wanted to do was force Mr. Gold to take the deal back. That was all. You said that you were doing this so I wouldn't have to kill anyone; so we wouldn't become like that."

Cora says, "Well, dear, you wouldn't have to kill anyone this way."

Regina looks to her mother and then looks at her daughter. She isn't sure what to do. For so long she had waited to be with her daughter, but she had also just reconciled with her mother. She looked over to Hook, wishing that he could give her the answer. After not answering her daughter, Rebecca runs out of the room in tears. She knew that, by not answering her, her mother was considering doing the wrong thing. And to Rebecca, even considering it was enough to convince her. Regina just looks as her daughter runs out.

Cora walks up to her daughter and puts her arm around her shoulder, "She just doesn't understand, dear. She doesn't know what they put you through. Someday, she _will_."

Regina stares at her mother nervously and then just nods her head in agreement. She had hoped that this was the right choice. Rebecca would someday understand why.


	7. Chapter 7

As Regina places a rose on her mother's coffin, she begins to cry. Her choice to gain vengeance cost her mother's life and her daughter's trust. After that incident several weeks ago in the office with her mother, Rebecca ran off and disappeared; Hook refused to speak with Regina and chose to go after Gold himself; and Regina committed so many horrid acts with her mother that no one in Storybrooke wanted anything to do with her. She had certainly made the wrong choice.

Suddenly, Regina notices Mr. Gold standing at the entrance to the room. "Black always was your color."

Insulted and distressed she responds, "I'm here to bury my mother. So, if you've come to gloat-"

"I came to pay my respects." Regina looks at him confused, "We had our differences, Cora and I. But, She will always have a place in my heart."

"You killed her to save your own life."

"Sadly, desperate times call for desperate measures."

"Like getting Mary Margret to trick me into killing my own mother? You may be able to hide behind your own dagger, but she can't." Regina's eyes are filled with vengeance and anger. "She is going to die for what she did."

"Seems a bit extreme. I would think that you would focus on redemption rather than vengeance." He refers to the coffin, "As you know what vengeance will lead to."

Regina's eyes become sorrowful and lost. "I don't think redemption is even an option anymore."

"It's always an option, dearie."

Regina looks up at him and thinks. She says to him, "Fine. Then make a deal with me."

"What?"

"I'm going to redeem myself with my daughter. Make a deal with me."

"What do you propose I do?"

"If you forget the deal you made with Rebecca, _I_ will owe you something in return."

0-0-0

Rebecca watches from behind a tree as Regina brings Grace to school. Regina kisses her on the head and Grace runs into the schoolyard, still innocent and still unknowing of it all. Rebecca sees Regina's regret as she watches her run off. Rebecca misses her mother and her sister, but she also can't bear to think of the things that her mother has done.

Suddenly, she feels a hand on her shoulder, "It's time to go, love."

Rebecca turns around and notices Hook, "What are you doing here?"

"Well, you left the ship."

"You're not my father. I can do what I want to."

"I'm afraid not, love. I vowed to your mother that protecting you was my first priority."

"Yeah. And I'm sure stabbing Gold in the chest with poison on your hook was protecting me. You're just like her; all you care about is vengeance."

"Ah, yes love, but that would have killed him and rid of your problem with him."

"I don't condone killing as a way to get rid of your problems. Now leave me alone." She turns away from him angrily.

"We must go before someone sees you." He tries grabbing her arm but she struggles and pulls away stubbornly.

"Get out of here! I can take care of myself."

"Love, stowing away on my ship is not taking care of yourself."

"I don't need to stay on your ship then. I'll find somewhere else. I don't need your help."

"Yet I'm going to give it anyway." He forcefully turns the young girl around and looks her in the eyes, "Like I said, love. I promised your mother that I would protect you. I may not be your father, but I'm all you have at the moment."

Rebecca looks at him and sees why he is being so protective of her. She had seen it in Daniel's eyes before he died and had also seen in once in Jefferson's eyes. Though Hook felt betrayed by her, he loved Regina. Rebecca nods and finally obeys his demands as they return to the ship.

0-0-0

Regina enters Gold's shop a little worried of what he has planned for her. "Gold." She walks to the counter.

Mr. Gold enters from the back room with a smile. "Good day."

"Let's just get this over with. What do you want from me?"

"I need you to find someone and retrieve something for me."

"So, you want me to complete a deal with someone for you?"

"Precisely."

"Why? What is the difference if I complete the deal versus if you do?"

"You will see, dearie. You will have a much bigger influence on this young lady than I would. She continues to fight me, but with you… Well, let's say she with listen to you."

"Do I know this person?" Regina seems confused to what Mr. Gold is saying.

"She has changed through the years, so you may not recognize her. But, she will certainly remember _you_."

Regina stares at him awkwardly as he pulls out a piece of paper and writes down the address to the home then hands it to Regina. She looks down at it and then back at him. She still feels a bit confused from what he was saying before, but knows that this transaction would finally finish all of the deals between her, Rebecca and Gold.

She asks, "What is this person's name? And what is she giving you?"

"Her name is Emily. And she and her husband know very well what it is. Do not worry about that."

Regina, still confused, just nods and turns to leave.

Gold stops her one last time, "Oh, and dearie, do not trick me on this deal. I want what they agreed to give me. You are simply the deliverer and will not interfere with this. If so, you know the consequences for breaking deals with me." He smiles warningly and Regina goes on her way.

0-0-0

Regina finds the small house, walks up to the door and knocks. A rather nervous man opens the door.

Regina says, "Mr. Gold sent me to collect something."

The man says nothing, nods his head and lets her inside. She looks around and watches the man close the door. He begins to walk to another room, "Come this way."

As they approach the room, Regina begins to hear crying and soft moans in pain. She becomes nervous as they enter the room. In the bedroom, she sees a pregnant young girl, no older than twenty-one or twenty-two, lying on the bed in labor. She stares at the girls face, trying to figure out if she knew her.

Suddenly, the girl's eyes open to reveal sorrowful hazel eyes. The two make eye contact and stare at each other in shock. The girl whisper confused, "Regina?"

Regina gasps and holds her hand to her stomach as she feels that she is going to be sick. She covers her mouth and runs out to the bathroom and throws up. She sits on the bathroom floor with her knees bunched up to her chest as she hears the girl's painful cries. Regina begins to sob as she relives the memory of her having to give up her daughter so many years ago. She knew exactly what Gold intended for her to collect, the couple's first born child. And now Regina had to be the person who takes the child from the one person who made her happy during that time, Marian.


	8. Chapter 8

Regina cannot bear to get up off of the floor and walk into the other room. She can hear Marian's yells; all she can do is relive the day that Rebecca was taken. Regina is scared to go back. When she looked into Marian's eyes for the first time again, she saw that little girl who befriended her so long ago; hurting her was not something Regina could do.

Suddenly, Regina hears the sounds of a baby's cry from the other room. She lifts her head and dries her tears. The man walks into the bathroom and beckons for Regina to go into the other room. She sees young Marian lying on the bed, still breathing heavily. Regina then looks over to the midwife as she swaddles the little baby in a blanket; it's a healthy little boy. Regina looks at the baby and smiles. She looks over to Marian who is watching the midwife with hopeful, yet sorrowful, eyes.

The midwife picks up the baby, walks over to Regina and hands him to her. The baby calms down in Regina's arms. She looks down at him with a smile and then up at his distressed mother. She knew that she couldn't just leave with the child; she couldn't subject Marian to what she went through. She walks over to her with the baby in her arms and sits on the bedside.

"What are you doing?" The midwife asks shocked at Regina's actions, "We had strict orders."

Regina looks at her and snaps angrily, "I don't take orders from anyone. I am letting this girl hold her newborn son." Regina looks back at Marian with honest and sympathetic eyes as she hands the baby to his mother.

Marian smiles and begins to cry happily. She looks up at Regina, "Thank you."

The man, Regina assumed was her husband, says nervously, "What about Mr. Gold? We had a deal with him."

Regina looks to him, "I will take care of it." She looks back to Marian, "No mother should ever have to give up her child."

Regina gets up and begins to leave. Marian looks up at her, "Thank you, Regina."

Regina smiles at her and says, "You're welcome, Marian." She walks out of the room and prepares for how to deal with Gold when she returns to the shop.

0-0-0

A few weeks pass before Regina decides to return to Gold. She walks into his shop a little anxious of the situation.

Mr. Gold looks up and asks, "So, where is the child?"

Regina walks to the counter, "Rightfully with his parents, Gold."

Mr. Gold remains surprisingly calm and smiles, "I warned you not to interfere with this deal. I told you that you would suffer the consequences."

"Gold, you can't do anything to me." She says confidently, "I owe you nothing."

"Don't get smart with me, dearie. I know your weakness probably better than you do." Suddenly, he waves his hand and, in a cloud of magic, Rebecca appears in front of Gold. Regina's eyes widen. She flinches as though to use magic to fight him, but she stops as he pulls the girl into a headlock and points his dagger to her neck.

"Don't you dare hurt her, Gold!" Regina yells.

Gold puts a tighter grip on the girl's neck, "Kind of wish you had kept that deal with me now?"

"Mom, please! What's going on?" Rebecca asks distressed. She holds onto Gold's arm trying to loosen the grip. She struggle and tries to use her strength, but can't stop him.

Then from behind, Gold feels a cool touch on his face. He gazes over and notices a hook, "I suggest you let the girl go, crocodile." Regina looks at Hook and smiles hopefully.

Gold continues the hold onto Rebecca and says, "No one breaks a deal with me! There are consequences."

"Like your death?" Hook asks. "I'll give you one last chance, crocodile. Let the girl go and I will make a deal with you; I will never come after you or your loved ones again. That is the final deal."

"And why would I trust you?"

"No one can break a deal with you, correct? Trust that."

Gold smiles and lets the girl go. Rebecca runs into her mother's embrace. Regina holds her tightly and watches as Gold and Hook talk.

Gold looks deviously at Hook, "There is still the matter of the deal that was broken. I was supposed to be given that child. Now, what will I be given in return?"

"Why do you even want an infant? You're a bit old to want to experience the joys father hood now." Hook smiles.

"That is my business."

"Then what do you want in return?" Hook asks, with his hook still armed in defense.

Gold smiles, looks to Regina who is still holding Rebecca close, and then looks to Hook again, "How about _your_ first born?"

Regina's eyes widen nervously. What was Gold talking about? From what she knew, Hook didn't have a child.

Hook looks at him confused, "What's your aim, crocodile? I have no first born."

"Yet." Gold laughs and stares over at Regina. He gives her a smirk and a glare.

Hook looks over to Regina. There eyes meet, both confused and surprised.

Gold looks to Hook, "I suppose congratulations are in order."

Rebecca looks up at her confused as well. Regina just puts her hand to her head as to comfort her for the time being.

Hook responds, "I will not give you my first born child. As a matter of fact… here is what I _will_ give you. Your life."

Gold looks at Hook as he slowly puts his arm down. Gold knew that he no longer had the advantage; they were finished making deals. Hook lowers his guard and walks passed Gold, toward Regina and Rebecca. Rebecca suddenly hugs him tightly. Hook isn't completely sure how to act. He looks up at Regina who smiles at him thankfully. The moment that Rebecca lets go, Regina goes to Hook and passionately kisses him. Tears stream down her cheeks as she cries happily. After they kiss, they look into each other's eyes. Hook's hand slowly moves down to Regina's stomach.

He asks in a whisper, "Is it true?"

Regina shrugs her shoulders and replies, "I don't know."

Suddenly, Gold chimes in, "It is true, dearies." The couple and the teenage girl look over to the defeated man. Gold notices their happiness; the joy in Hook's eyes, the brightness of Regina's smile, and the sweetness in Rebecca's laughter. Something comes over Mr. Gold in this moment.

He stops them before they walk out, "Killian Jones. You might need this," he says as he waves his hand. Suddenly, there is a thud on the floor. They all look to see that his hook has fallen off. Killian lifts his arm to reveal a hand. They all look at Gold with shock. He says, "You'll need that to hold your baby."

Killian was no longer Captain Hook. He smiles at Gold and then looks to Regina. He takes his hand and caresses her face; she laughs happily at his touch. Then he slowly holds hands with her and interlocks fingers.

"Thank you." He says gratefully.

Mr. Gold nods and smiles as they go on their way. Finally, they were going to find happiness.


	9. Chapter 9

Regina and Killian wait by the bus stop for Rebecca and Grace. Today was the day when Grace was going to finally meet Killian for the first time.

The girls make their way off of the bus and notice Regina waving to them. Young Grace runs up to hug Regina and looks up at her with a sweet smile. Killian looks over nervously for some reason. After having his hand cut off, begin a pirate for hundreds of years and battling countless enemies in different lands, he found that meeting an eleven year-old girl the most nerve-racking of them all. He looks over to the young girl as Regina begins to talk to her. Regina looks over to him, then Rebecca, then Grace. His palms are clammy and sweaty and he isn't sure what the young girl will do.

Suddenly, Grace begins to walk toward Killian; she has a smile on her face, yet Killian is still nervous. She looks up at him and says, "Hi. I'm Grace."

"Hello." He responds.

"Mom says that you are her boyfriend."

Killian looks over to Regina and laughs, and then he returns his attention to the young girl. "Why, yes. You could say that, love."

The girl smiles and grabs his hand to lead him over to Regina and Rebecca. He and Regina hold hands as Rebecca and Grace run ahead to return home.

0-0-0

As Regina prepares dinner, the girls are upstairs and Killian sets the table. Once he finishes, Killian walks up behind Regina and slowly slides his hands around her waste and kisses her neck.

"What are you doing?" She flinches. "The girls could come down any second."

Killian gets closer to her and kisses her neck again, "Then I'll be quick."

Regina stops what she is doing and turns around to face him. He kisses her sweetly with his arms around her waste. He pulls her as close as he can as he kisses her.

She whispers to him, "If the girls walk down and see, you will be in so much trouble." She laughs and kisses him again.

"Well, maybe they will just see that I am expressing my love." He replies with a smile.

"You need to remember that the oldest is a teenager, dear." Regina laughs.

As they kiss again, Rebecca walks into the room, "That's gross." Regina and Killian stop kissing and look over. They laugh at Rebecca's remark and Regina returns to cooking as Killian sits next to Rebecca at the counter.

Regina looks to Rebecca, "Did you need something, sweetheart?"

"Well, yeah. Uh… I wanted to know if we were ever going to, you know, go back home… to the city?"

Regina looks up at Rebecca confused, glances at Killian for a second and returns to cooking, "Why would ask that?"

"Well, Grace keeps asking when our vacation here will be over, Mom? Remember, I wasn't allowed to bring her memory back. She still thinks that we live back in the city."

Regina suddenly remembers. Killian asks confused, "What's wrong with the girl's memory? She seems perfectly fine to me."

Regina replies, "When we crossed the town line, we all obtained new memories. But, considering the little issues we had with Gold and my mother, Rebecca and I were able to get our memories back. I told Rebecca that I didn't want her returning Grace's though."

"May I ask why not?" Killian asks.

Regina continues, "Because the last thing she remembers is her father dying right in front of her. I just want to protect her."

Rebecca responds, "I don't think you should do it by forcing her to forget it, Mom."

"But I'm not comfortable with her remembering it either. I do not want to see her like that again. I just can't."

"Then are we going to forget again?" Rebecca asks.

"No. Why would you say that?"

Killian interrupts, "Because, love. She is saying that it is unfair to the girl. She should know."

Regina glares at Killian for not agreeing with her, but begins to consider it. She shakes her head in denial.

"Mom, you have to think about this."

"I am, Rebecca." Regina looks up to her daughter with frustration. "Please go and get your sister for dinner."

Stubborn Rebecca groans with aggravation and walks up the stairs. Killian goes up to Regina and places his hands on her shoulders to calm her.

He says in a deep, soothing tone, "I'm sorry, love. But she has a point. You need to trust that the girl will get through it. Like you got through losing your love and you daughter. Did running and forgetting really help you?"

Regina turns and looks into Killian's blue eyes. He wraps his arms around her as she rests her head on his shoulder.

She says, "What kind of mother does this to her child?"

Comforting her, Killian replies, "You had the right intentions, love."

She looks up at him with tears forming in her eyes, "But it was the wrong choice. It probably hurt her more than it helped her." She begins to panic, "What if I do this with our baby? This is what I did with Henry; its what drove him away. I can't drive her away too. And the baby! Oh, god. What if I make this mistake again?"

Killian suddenly cups her face in her hands and kisses her to stop her from talking. He looks into her worried eyes and reassures her, "That is why I am here, love."

She smiles at him, and then she looks over as the girls walk into the kitchen. Rebecca still looks aggravated at her mother. Regina looks to Grace who is standing with a big, innocent smile on her face. Regina looks to Rebecca and nods to her as if to let her know that it is alright.

Rebecca looks at Grace with her hands cupped around her face. In an instant, she backs away from Grace. Grace looks around and then looks to Regina who is nervous to see the girl's reaction. Then she notices a smile appear on her face as she runs to hug Regina.

Regina embraces the girl and says, "I'm sorry, Grace."

Grace looks up at Regina, "I love you, Mom."

Regina becomes suddenly touched by Grace's words. Though she remembered, she still called Regina her mother; she was still happy. Regina doesn't wish to let go of this moment, but knows that she must.

She kisses Grace's head and says, "Come on. It's time for dinner."

0-0-0

After getting ready for bed, Regina sits down on the bed next to Grace. Regina turns to Killian who is standing at the door. She looks at him as if asking him to give them some privacy to talk. He realizes it and straightens up from leaning on the doorframe. He says, "I'm just going to go downstairs, love." He nods to Regina. "Good night, Gracie." He says with a smile.

"Good night, Killian." Grace replies. She smiles back at him and then looks to Regina after he leaves.

Regina holds Grace's hand and says, "Gracie, sweetheart. I'm sorry."

"Sorry about what, Mom?"

"About..." She hesitates, "forcing you to forget everything. It wasn't fair to you."

"But you brought it back. That's all that matters." She smiles.

Regina smiles, almost on the verge of tears, and replies, "Sweetie, I love you so much." She strokes her hand through Grace's hair as she says it.

Grace hugs Regina and says, "I love you too."

Regina looks down at her as they hug, "You know that you can always talk to me about anything. Even the things that happened…"

"You mean to my Papa."

Regina, all broken up inside, nods. Grace returns under the covers of her bed and Regina tucks her in tightly.

Grace says as she clutches the little white rabbit that Jefferson had once made for her, "I miss him."

Regina kisses her forehead and replies, "I do too." She walks to the door and says, "Good night, sweetheart. I love you," and then shuts the lights off.

Regina returns downstairs to meet Killian who quickly opens his arms and embraces Regina.

"How did it go?"

Regina laughs, "I think _I'm_ the one more broken up about the situation than she is."

"Well, she is young. She doesn't completely understand it all."

"That's what made me nervous about giving her memory back in the first place, though."

"Well, you can't just run from telling her these things. More and more, she will learn and ask questions, but that's why we will be there to help her."

Regina looks up at Killian and smiles, "When did you become such a good parent?"

Killian kisses Regina, "Oh, there is a whole other side of me that you do not even know about, love."

"Well, it's starting to show and I like it." She laughs and kisses him again.

"That's good. I'd hate for you to not like it." He smiles back.

Then Regina's expression drops for a moment.

Killian looks at her concerned, "What is it?"

She replies, "I need to go to the station tomorrow and speak to Emma."

"Why?"

"Because of the whole case on Jefferson's death. I've been avoiding it for long enough."

"What'll they do?"

"Hopefully nothing. I'm not responsible for his death. My mother killed him. It's just… what I thought."

"What, love?"

"They still see me the way they always have… evil. That's why they assumed that it was me in the first place."

Hook cups his hands around her face and assures her, "Then we will get through it. You've changed. I can see it; the girls can see it. I'm sure that people like them can eventually see it."

Regina places her head on Killian's shoulder, "Not likely…"


	10. Chapter 10

While Killian agrees to take the girls to school, Regina hesitantly and nervously heads to the Sheriff's Station. Unsure if she is going to be sick because of nerves or because of morning sickness, she walks into the station. When Emma notices her she stands up surprised.

"Uh… Regina! What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to speak to you concerning the case… the one on Jefferson's death."

Emma looks at her confused, "Wait. Do you remember?"

Regina nods and says, "For a while now, Miss Swan. I apologize for not coming sooner. I had other, more pressing, matters to attend to."

"More important than a murder case?" Emma asks in disbelieve.

"You'd be surprised."

"Um, alright. Can I take you into the questioning room for your statement?"

"Why don't I save you the time and just tell you that it wasn't me. It was my mother."

Emma says confused, "Well, I still need a statement."

"I just don't want to be in here any longer than I need to be." Regina says while holding her stomach.

"You okay there?"

Trying not to throw up, she replies, "Yes, yes. I'll be fine."

"I'm not so sure about that, Regina."

Regina puts a hand to her chest and says, "Will you excuse me for a minute?"

"Yeah, go ahead." Emma replies as Regina quickly makes her way to the bathroom. When she returns a while later, Emma asks, "What was all that about?"

"Just a little morning sickness, Miss Swan. Nothing you need to worry about." Regina replies as she sits down next to Emma's desk.

Emma looks at her confused, "Morning sickness? What are you pregnant or something?" Regina smirks and looks to Emma. Emma's eyes widen, "Well, then… congratulations. I guess."

"Thanks." Regina says awkwardly.

"May I ask who the father is?"

Regina awkwardly answers with a smile, "Killian."

"Hook?" Emma looks shocked.

"Well, he actually doesn't have a hook anymore. He has a hand, thanks to Gold."

"Wait. Gold gave Hook his hand? How much have I been missing in this town?" Emma says.

"Quite a bit, actually."

"You and Hook like a thing? Or was a one nighter?"

"It's not really any of your business, but Killian and I are… a couple. The girls love him; I love him."

Suddenly, Mary Margret and David walk in and Mary Margret interrupts, "So, you're finally happy?" She smiles as Regina turns to look at her.

Regina smiles back, "Yes, I suppose you could say that I'm very happy."

Mary Margret can't contain herself. Walks up to Regina and hugs her. She says, "I'm so glad that you've finally found happiness."

Regina feels a bit awkward in the moment and responds, "Uh… thank you, Mary Margret."

David questions, "So you are not responsible for Jefferson's death."

Regina looks to him as Mary Margret lets go, "Though it may surprise you, no. I am not. I loved Jefferson very much, just as I love his daughter as my own. That is why I took her, to protect her. I told you all once that you didn't know what I was capable of. Well you still don't. I am capable of a lot more good than you give me credit for."

Emma begins to speak, "Regina, we-"

"Save it." She smiles forgivingly, "I know what you are going to say. It's fine. I've happily given up on vengeance and the like. I just ask that we all just put our pasts behind us… completely."

"How can we trust what you are saying, Regina? You've tricked us before."

"Well then don't trust me. That is your choice and I'd understand if you didn't. But I trust that you will do the right thing." Regina smiles honestly. She looks to all of them one last time and walks out of the station.

0-0-0

Regina and Killian walk into the new nursery. Killian covers Regina's eyes. Smiling with her hand on her bulging, third-trimester stomach, Regina walks into the room.

The girls sneak around them and each grab a window curtain.

"When can I open my eyes? I feel like I'm going to fall over." Regina laughs.

"Just a few more seconds, Mom." Rebecca says.

Killian nods to the girls. He uncovers her eyes as they open the curtains to reveal a beautiful nursery. Regina covers her mouth in surprise as she looks around the room to notice a beautiful white, wooden crib with an animal mobile hanging over it; beautiful blue painted walls with animal pictures hung up; a white rocking chair to match the crib; and a lovely little dresser and changing table stocked with clothes for a newborn.

Regina looks to Killian and asks, "Did you do _all_ of this?"

He walks up to her and holds her waist, then kisses her on the lips. He looks over the Rebecca and Grace, "I couldn't have done it without my little ladies' help."

Regina walks over to the girls and hugs them. "This is amazing. I love it." She smiles.

Grace becomes excited and says, "But, Mom, that's not it! We have one more thing!" She runs over to a large wooden carving that is leaning against the wall and slowly picks it up to reveal it. It's a carving of a name.

Regina looks at it and smiles at Killian, "Daniel?"

"Daniel." He smiles.

"We hadn't agreed on that name yet."

"But I knew that you wanted it. It will suit him." Killian caresses Regina's cheek and then kisses her lightly. She smiles at him with utter joy.

0-0-0

Regina and the girls walk through the door with loads of groceries in hand. After placing them on the counter Regina says, "Rebecca, you and you sister get the rest of the bags for me and I'll start unloading everything here."

Grace whines a bit, "Mom, why do I have to go back out? I want to stay and help you."

"You will, once you go out and bring all of the bags inside. It'll be faster that way."

Grace groans a bit, "Fine," and walks out with Rebecca.

Regina laughs as they leave and begins to unpack the bags of food. She takes out a carton of eggs and begins to walk to the fridge until suddenly she feels a sharp, agonizing pain in her stomach. She drops the carton of eggs that fly all over the floor and then leans against the counter. Regina then collapses to the floor and lies unconscious.

Rebecca and Grace return to find their mother collapsed on the floor. Rebecca quickly drops the bag and runs to Regina, "Mom? Mom!"

Grace just stands there in shock.

Rebecca looks over to her sister, "Grace, call Killian." Grace doesn't move, "Grace, now! Go call him!"

"Is she-"

"Now!"

Grace runs out of the room in tears to call him. Rebecca looks down at Regina and quickly pulls out her cell phone. She dials 911; her hands shake and she begins to cry in panic. Someone answers and Rebecca frantically says, "Hello? Hello! Please help! My mom is passed out on the floor." She listens for the person on the other end to respond, "She's pregnant… No, I didn't see. My sister and I left the room for a minute and found her here! Why are you asking me these things? Just hurry and get here!" She listens as the person tells her to calm down and asks if there is anything else wrong. Rebecca looks at her mother and suddenly notices that there is blood on the floor and Regina's body by her waist, "Yes. She's bleeding. Please hurry."


	11. Chapter 11

Killian rushes into the hospital frantically and spots Rebecca and Grace. Grace quickly runs into his arms with tears in her eyes; Rebecca follows quickly after.

"Where is she? What have the doctors said?" He asks Rebecca.

Wiping tears from her eyes, "Nothing! They won't tell us anything. All I know is that they brought her into surgery twenty minutes ago! What's happening?"

Killian looks up as Dr. Whale walks into the lobby and says, "I'm going to find out." He says to Rebecca, "Watch your sister."

He approaches Dr. Whale angrily and shoves him against a wall. Completely shocked, Whale shouts, "What the hell is your problem, dude?"

"Shut up." Whale stops and simply stares at the man. Killian continues, "Now you are going to tell me what exactly is happening in that operating room with my love and my son. Word for word. What is happening?"

Whale shoves Killian off of him and straightens himself up, "Regina and your baby are in a poor condition. The placentae has detached from the uterus prematurely, which is what caused Regina to bleed uncontrollably when your daughter found her. Our first priority is to stop the bleeding and deliver the baby by C-section as quickly as possible to assure his survival."

Killian looks over to the girls and then says, "You make sure that my son and his mother make it through this. I will not see those girls lose her." He then becomes threatening, "And if anything happens to my family, you will be taking the blame."

Whale, though terrified, remains calm and replies, "Then let me return to the operating room so that I can do as you ask." Whale shoves Killian back one more time and quickly walks away.

Killian looks over to the two girls just sitting down. They don't know what is going on or what to even think; they are scared and do not want to lose their mother. Killian walks up to them and kneels down to talk to them.

"So, what did Dr. Whale say? Is Mom going to be okay?" Rebecca asks.

Killian looks to Rebecca and says honestly, "He says that she is not dong well, but he will do what he can."

Grace, who was resting her head on Rebecca's lap, looks to him with sorrowful eyes and asks, "Are Mom and Daniel going to die?"

Killian isn't sure what to say, "I… I don't know, love."

0-0-0

Another hour passes, and Grace is now sound asleep in Killian's arms while Rebecca continuously paces back and forth.

"Why is she still in there? They should have come out to tell us _something_. Shouldn't they?"

"I would take it as a good sign." Killian responds quietly so as not to wake Grace.

Rebecca stops and stares at him, "You don't know that. For all you know, they are just delaying telling us that they are dead because you threatened to kill Dr. Whale."

"Or they are still trying to save your mother and brother's life because I threatened him."

She sarcastically responds, "Yeah, I'm sure that's it." Rebecca continues to pace and then suddenly stops, "I have an idea." She then runs out of the hospital. Killian is unable to go after her because he has Grace sleeping in his arms.

0-0-0

Rebecca suddenly bursts into Gold's shop. "Gold! Gold!"

"You seem a bit frantic, dearie. Is there something I can do for you?" Gold says calmly.

Slightly out of breathe, Rebecca replies, "I need to make one last deal with you."

Gold smiles, "Dearie, my deals with you have always turned sour. I'm not so sure that I would be willing to make one with you."

"What if I had something that you wanted?"

"What would that be, dearie?"

"This." Rebecca removes the chain with her father's ring from her neck and holds it in the palm of her hand.

"What would I want with-"

Gold stops as he notices what the girl is doing. Rebecca's eyes flash purple as they always did when she used some sort of magic. She gasps as purple smog emits from her mouth and nostrils and engulfs the ring. She holds up the ring for him to see its enchantment and says, "I need you to save my mom and my baby brother from dying."

"I'm sorry but magic can't bring-"

"I didn't say bring _back_ from the dead." She interrupts, "I said save. They aren't dead yet, but on the verge of it. If you can save them, then you get this… my magic."

Gold smiles, "A pretty lofty price to give up ones own magic for her family."

"Though you may not believe it, love it more powerful than any magic that I could possess." She holds out the ring to him, "So do we have a deal?"

Gold takes the ring from her, "You have a deal, dearie. Come with me."

Gold makes his way to his back room and Rebecca follows swiftly.

Gold scans his shelves that seem to be filled with potions and spell books. Rebecca stares curiously as he picks up a particular vile containing some sort of mixture or potion. He hands it to Rebecca.

"What is this?"

"The thing that will save your mother."

"How?"

"That, dearie, is a curse that will heal your mother."

Rebecca knows that there is something else, "For what price?"

"Smart girl. There is a chance that your mother will not wake up."

"Then what is the point?"

"It is a chance, dearie. There's not much else that I can do."

"Is there a ways to wake her?"

"Maybe, dearie. I wouldn't know."

Rebecca glares at him, "How would you not know? You created the curse!"

"My deal was to find a way to save her. _That_ will do it. Enact it on her and she will live, dearie. Our deal is fulfilled."

"Not until you tell me how to enact it." Rebecca steps in front of Gold to stop him from walking away.

"To enact this curse, you simply drop three drops of the potion into an open flame followed by three drops of the victim's blood."

"How am I supposed to get my Mom's blood?"

"If I recall, her blood runs through your veins, dearie."

"And that'll work?"

"I don't see why not." Gold makes his way out of the room as Rebecca gets to work.

0-0-0

Rebecca runs back into the hospital to find Dr. Whale speaking to Killian while Grace sleeps on a set of hospital chairs. Killian walks over to Rebecca, "Where the hell have you been?"

"Where's Mom? Is she okay? What did Dr. Whale say?"

Killian looks to Rebecca and smiles, "They are both fine. They've brought Daniel to urgent care because of weak breathing but he will become stronger in no time."

"And Mom?"

"She's asleep in a recovery room."

"Asleep?" Rebecca becomes nervous, "When will she wake up?"

"She's only resting, love. She'll wake up in no time."

Rebecca, on the other hand, wasn't so sure that was true.


	12. Chapter 12

It's been a week since Rebecca enacted the little curse to heal her mother, and it's been a week since Regina fell into her coma. Rebecca, though Killian insists, refuses to leave Regina's side for school or anything. She feels responsible; she may be alive, but she may never wake up and see her family again.

Grace and Killian walk into the room where Regina is sleeping and see Rebecca sitting in a chair beside her bed as always. Grace climbs up onto the bed and lies next to Regina with her arms around her. She kisses her cheek and closes her eyes for a bit.

Killian goes to Rebecca and says, "Love, you can't sit here any longer. She will wake up in time."

"And I'm going to be here when she does." Rebecca stares at Grace as she embraces Regina's sleeping body.

Killian kneels down to meet Rebecca face to face and says, "Come. We are allowed to see your brother now. I want you to come with us." He grabs her hand and helps her stand up.

Grace kisses her Mom's cheek one more time and whispers, "I love you, Mom." She hops off of the bed and takes Killian's other hand as they walk down to the infant care center.

The three look into the large window that shows all of the newborns. Rebecca scans the room, looking for her brother. Her face has no expression; she can't get her mind off of her mother. Killian points over to a tiny newborn boy in the second row of cribs and says, "There he is."

Grace smiles as she looks through the glass at the little newborn. Rebecca stares but does not smile; looking at the baby just reminds her that her mother may never wake up to see him. Killian puts his arm around Rebecca to comfort her, but Rebecca simply shakes it off and walks away.

Killian looks as she walks away and sighs. Suddenly, a nurse walks out of the room and looks to Killian and Grace. She asks, "Would you like to come in the back and meet your son?"

Grace looks up at Killian excitedly as he nods yes. She leads them to the back and asks them to wait a moment while she went to get him. She returns with a very calm baby and gentle places him in Killian's arms.

"Support his head," The nurse says.

Killian smiles as the little baby wiggles a bit in his arms. He is still extremely small. Grace looks up and reaches her hand up to touch the infant's hand. She gently slides her little finger into the baby's hand and feels a little grip tighten. She giggles and looks up at Killian. At the sound of Killian's laugh, the baby wiggles a bit again and begins to open his eyes for the first time. His eyes open widen and look right up at Killian; they are a dark brown, just like Regina's.

The nurse looks over at the sight with a smile and asks, "Do you know his named yet?"

Killian looks up and says, "Daniel."

0-0-0

Rebecca walks back to Regina's room. Before she gets there she looks up and notices countless doctors and nurse scrambling into the room. Rebecca runs in to witness her mother lying there with doctors surrounding her and her heart motor beeping uncontrollably. Something was wrong.

Rebecca in tears yells, "Mom?"

She tries to run closer to her but is held back by another doctor. Dr. Whale exclaims, "Get her out of here, now!"

Rebecca continues to yell as they drag her out. She pushes the doctor aside and looks through the glass window of the room as Dr. Whale places the paddles on her mother's chest in an attempt to resuscitate her. Rebecca has tears streaming down her face and she continues to yell her mother's name.

She watches for minutes, her heart racing within her chest. Suddenly she hears it, a flat line. She sees the doctor back away and then barges though the door yelling, "No! No, no, no." She runs to Regina's bedside sobbing, "No, Mom!"

Rebecca rests her head on her mother's chest and cries. She whispers, "I was trying to save you."

"I'm sorry. We did what we could." Dr. Whale says.

Rebecca whispers again, "Don't leave me, Mom. I just found you. I love you." Rebecca kisses Regina's forehead.

Suddenly, something surges throughout the room. Regina's eyes open as she sits up and gasps for air.

"Mom!" Rebecca smiles as she puts her arms happily around Regina's neck.

"Becca!" Regina is still a little shocked. "What happened?" She suddenly notices her stomach, "The baby! Where is-"

"He's fine, Mom. Perfect. And you're fine!" She cries.

"Sweetie, what happened? Of course I'm alright."

"I thought I'd lost you."

Regina strokes her hair and caresses her face, "You will never lose me, sweetheart." She kisses Rebecca's forehead and hugs her again.

"I love you, Mom."

"I love you too."

0-0-0

"Mom!" Grace runs in, climbs onto the bed next to Regina and hugs her tight.

Regina laughs and embraces both Grace and Rebecca. She then looks up as Killian walks through the door holding their little baby. They smile at each other and Killian walks up to Regina's bedside. He hands the infant to her for the first time and then kisses her sweetly. She looks down at her son who she is seeing for the first time. Tears of happiness run down her cheeks as the baby opens his big brown eyes towards her and smiles. She laughs as he giggles and wiggles in her arms.

Regina looks up to see her family. Killian who used to be an angry and vengeful pirate is now a kind and loving man and father; Grace who had lost her father and become an orphan remains filled with love and innocence; Rebecca who was a hard-headed and cunning thief is now an ordinary, happy and yet stubborn teenager; and she, who had lost everything many times over, sought vengeance, and lost her way, now has a family and has finally found her happiness.

**THE** **END**

**I hope you all enjoyed this series. Please review and let me know what you think. I hope to be writing new stories very soon. Thank you to all who have read.**


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